


The Secret Sea

by garconne



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Asgard, F/M, Fantasy, Merpeople, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-15 00:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1284358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garconne/pseuds/garconne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Pre-Avengers Asgard AU</i> </p><p>Sif left her home long ago, giving up a life in the seas of Asgard to become a warrior. When Loki discovered her in her true form, she feared he would reveal her, but instead he showed her his own blue Jotun skin. Together, they've discovered how it feels to truly belong. But now, a sudden distress call from her homeworld interrupts their paradise, and Loki must convince Sif that aiding her kind doesn't have to mean being apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Secret Sea

Returning home from the gardens, Loki left his sack of fruit by the kitchen on his way to the bedroom. Something gave him pause when he found it empty, but he couldn't place it. It wasn't overly strange for Sif to step out on such a warm, bright day, but as he set foot inside, a shiver shot down his spine. The pale sheets were still in a lump where they’d left them. The window was open and the curtain idly billowed around a gentle breeze, the warm glow of afternoon sun coating the quiet room. Nothing seemed amiss at first glance. 

Then he saw it. There, on the small wooden table next to Sif’s side of the bed, a folded white paper was tucked under a candle, flapping occasionally in the light wind. A strange dread swelled in his chest at the sight of it. He moved forward and seized the note, his heart pounding. 

_I’ll never forget us._

He stared at her message for a moment. Four words. Just four words. He had feared this day might come but had tried to put it out of his mind. He let the page fall to the floor as he bolted for the door. He couldn't move his bare feet fast enough down the stone path. _No, Sif, no._ His heart racing, he sprinted forward out of fear greater than any he’d ever known. _I’m not too late_ , he thought. _I can’t be._

They’d moved closer to the sea just a few months before, and their time in the modest cottage had been the highlight of their lives. Away from the politics and grandiosity of the Asgardian palaces, their patch of land had become a private Vallhalla, with its verdure, glistening water, and towering grey mountains. 

And now it would be the place where he lost her. _I’m too late_ , he thought, coming onto the sand at her usual diving spot. _I’m too late._ He scanned the beach, but there was no one in sight. He tugged at his hair with both hands as tears flooded his eyes. _Why would she--_  

Just then, he spotted her, up on the rocky embankment where heavy waves crashed, her long hair and thin nightgown fluttering in the harsh wind. She had her hand on her chest, her head bowed. As he started across the rocks quickly toward her, she caught sight of him. Sif hadn't expected him to return so soon and felt a flood of guilt. 

“I’m sorry,” she called out. 

It wasn't the right thing to say, but it was all that came to mind. Her fingers clasped the delicate necklace he had given her back in the palace before they left, a thin gold chain with a single amber teardrop. 

Loki lost his pace as he scaled the larger rocks. Sif was there in between land and sea, and not yet close enough to touch her, he feared she might disappear forever at any second. He stood up on a flat stone and called back to her. 

“Take me with you!” 

He saw her expression change, but she didn't respond. He finally caught up to her, his chest heaving. Sif’s face was wet with tears, her dress damp from the ocean spray. 

“They need me,” she offered, her voice trembling. “I have to go. I couldn't say goodbye.” 

Loki looked out at the water, then back to her, his hair and clothes rippling in the gusts of air. 

“I won’t ask you to stay,” he said. “But please don’t leave me.” 

He almost touched her arm but didn't for fear she’d pull away. Sif had never heard such pain in his voice. 

“You’d have me take you from your home?” she asked, shaking her head. 

“There’s nothing _left_ for me here without you!” he pleaded, gesturing at the picturesque scenery around them, his eyes fixed on her. “I need none of it.” 

He touched her shoulder. She remained still. 

“You’re my home, Sif. You.” 

Loki’s words were earnest and urgent. His clear, sad blue eyes made Sif’s heart break and sing like only they could. So many times as they had lied in bed and held each other, breathing in the warm, salty night air, she’d gazed into those eyes, touched his cheek, and told him the truth: _I’ve never been so happy._ And now he stood before her, shaking at the thought of losing her. And she knew, as she’d always known, that she could never say goodbye to him. 

Sif surprised Loki by kissing him, and as she met his lips, he pulled her into a tight embrace. She hadn't answered him, he knew, but if only for a moment he would keep her from vanishing into the waves. Tears dripped from his eyes as he kissed the damp skin of her neck, and Sif melted to be in his arms again. Loki might’ve been angry, but in between shock, fear, and hope, he had no room for it. Only she could affect him in such a way. 

“You can do it, can’t you? You can take me?” 

Sif nodded as a brief smile brightened her face. Relief flooded Loki’s chest. 

“But we have to go now,” she said. 

“I’m ready.” 

She withdrew from him and he was reluctant to let go, but then she pulled off her white dress and let the wind carry it over the rocks. Naked before him in just her necklace, she placed her hand on his hip. Any other time, the same touch might've meant she wanted to make love and he would have responded in kind. Now, Loki followed suit and removed his shirt, then held her close to his body again. 

“Hold on,” she warned, pulling him up against her. “Don’t let go.” 

“Never,” he swore, kissing her cheek as her dark locks whipped his face. 

Sif’s arms encircled him and he braced himself for the dive, his eyes closed. She glanced down at the path that would lead back to their house, and then turned her eyes back to the sea. When the water was calm for a moment she plunged in, holding him, and Loki felt the skin of her legs turn to hard scales as the water engulfed them. As her strong fluke propelled them through the water, she held him tightly to her bare chest, his raven hair at her cheek. Her heart swelled with love for her beautiful prince so much that she beamed with joy as she flew through the water, crystal blue streaked with yellow rays of shimmering sunlight. She wished Loki could turn around and see how beautiful it was. 

Loki pressed his face to her shoulder and clung to her as they rushed through the water. He knew he wouldn't die and did not struggle even as his lungs begged for air. A mermaid’s touch could save anyone from drowning, the tales all said. It sounded romantic until one considered that it allowed merfolk to transport captives without surfacing. He found it more difficult than he’d expected to hold onto her as she swam, but any time he slipped down her torso, Sif would pull him back to her chest. 

Sif swam with haste, pausing only to regain her grasp on Loki when he slipped. She knew she could only sustain him underwater for so long, and she pushed forward with as much speed as she could muster. She wasn't sure how much he understood about what would happen next. Once they crossed the threshold and left Asgard’s ocean for the Deep - her birthplace, known to few on land - Loki would become like her. This was the only way for outsiders to enter the secret sea; they would become merfolk if guided by one unbanished or parish trying alone. No landfolk could cross the barrier without changing or dying. 

Sif had never been banished, of course. But leaving the Deep was a choice that brought her scorn and disdain. Surely now that they had summoned her to return, she would be permitted to enter as an unbanished mermaid. 

These thoughts and more raced through her mind as she rushed toward what she recognized as the threshold between ocean worlds - the drop-off in the ocean floor that lead to the Deep. She somehow found herself hesitating even as she hurried. Just then, Loki nearly slipped away from her completely and when she pulled him back to her chest, she realized he was no longer holding on. Pressing him to her breast, she crossed the barrier to salvation and breathed in relief. But Loki was still motionless in her arms. 

Sif reached a cove where she could safely surface and eased Loki onto the cool sand, shaded within the pocket of the cliff. Partially submerged, her tail stayed intact. 

“Loki,” she said gently, touching his cheek. “Come on, Loki.” 

Nothing. Crossing the threshold should have done it. She realized his trousers may have hindered the change and tore them from his legs in the water. 

“Loki,” she pleaded again, smoothing his wet hair. 

Nothing. Desperate, she scanned the sand around them and spotted a sharp, white shell that she plucked and brought to her palm, puncturing the skin. As a trickle of blood emerged, she let a few red drops fall into Loki’s mouth. His face was still and her heart sank. 

“Come on, my love,” she breathed. 

It was a last resort, and one that wasn't exactly licit, but mer blood could act as a powerful stimulant for the transition. 

It dawned on her that Loki was likely the only one of his kind to enter the secret sea. She recalled that first time he’d seen her tail and how she’d expected him to react with awe or disgust, but instead he’d calmly showed her his Jotun skin. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe the Deep was no place for a Frost Giant. 

Just then, she felt a change against her and looked down. 

Loki’s tail was a gorgeous emerald hue she’d never seen before, with a few odd gold scales throughout and thick black lines framing the fluke. It looked striking next to her own garnet. 

Beaming with joy and relief, she rested her head on his chest. Finally, Loki woke up and took in his surroundings. The water's reflection painted a bright web on the rocky ceiling above them. Sif felt him stir and rose to meet his gaze. He smiled up at her and then looked down at himself. 

“ _That’s_ new,” he remarked. 

Sif laughed. 

“Here we are,” she said, running her hand through his hair again. 

He kissed her and she held his head. 

“Loki...” she started as she looked into his eyes again. 

 _I couldn't really have left you_ , she wanted to say, but tears came instead of words. 

He brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face. Her eyes told him how sorry she was even when she lost her voice. He kissed her again. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, eyeing her amber pendant. 

“Thank you,” she repeated. 

She looked him over for a moment, and then a playful smile curled her lips. Reaching the Deep was the beginning of their trip to her homeworld, not the end, and they still had ways to go. 

“Come swim with me?” 

Loki chuckled. 

“Might as well.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
